key: cord-253520-phtmgy6g
authors: nan
title: Vaccination schedule for infants and COVID-19
date: 2020-05-23
journal: Bull Acad Natl Med
DOI: 10.1016/j.banm.2020.05.078
sha: 
doc_id: 253520
cord_uid: phtmgy6g

nan

Eleven vaccines have been made mandatory for children Q3 born from January 11, 2018. This measure significantly improved the vaccination coverage of infants in 2019, particularly against hepatitis B and meningitis, has significantly reduced the incidence of invasive meningococcal infections in younger infants.

The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in France has interrupted this beneficial development. Many parents have cancelled vaccination appointments for their infants as well as their older children. Fear of contagion in waiting rooms, doubts about the effects of vaccination on immunity in a pandemic period, and then containment, has led to a sharp decrease in vaccinations, mainly in infants.

On April 1, 2020, the French Health Authority issued an opinion so that the vaccination schedule would not be delayed. The EPI-PHARE report on the use of city drugs during the Covid-19 period reveals that penta and hexavalent vaccines for infants have fallen by 23% and that deliveries of MMR and HPV vaccines have dropped by 50 to 70% during the last two weeks of March 2020 [1] .

This situation cannot continue. Infants must imperatively be vaccinated from the 2nd month, in order to acquire an effective protection as soon as possible against frequent and serious diseases at this age, particularly 

The author declares that he has no competing interest.

Usage des médicaments de ville en France durant l'épidémie de Covid-19 -point de situation à la fin mars 2020